manuscript assessments

A favourable assessment from a known agency or individual is one of the few ways to get your manuscript off the slush pile and actually read by publishers.  Few of the literary agents in Australia will accept unpublished children's authors. It is as difficult to find one as to find a publisher.  Virginia or her highly qualified assistants will assess manuscripts written for children of all ages, from picture books for toddlers to adolescent novels. Virginia’s experiences as Judge for theChildren's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards, and Convener of the Crichton Award for new illustrators (administered by the Victorian Branch) are invaluable here.

		She has ten years' experience in manuscript assessment, and a lifetime's experience of good children's books (as a public librarian, school librarian and university lecturer). She is also an experienced and respected reviewer. Her doctorate was on young children's responses to books, and a version has been published as Stories, Pictures and Reality: Two Children Tell by Routledge (London) in 2007.  Virginia or another assessor will work with you to bring your manuscript to the standard necessary for publication. This includes both structural editing and copy editing – in other words, as well as advice on content, we will correct your grammar and punctuation too, as we go. Exceptional manuscripts will be offered a recommendatory letter to accompany the submission. Content and presentation are both important. You might like to read her articles on making a picture book and on understanding the children's book publishing market. Also available is her picture book text Yabby as an example of one way picture book texts can be submitted to publishers.

Virginia or one of her highly qualified assistants, Jennifer Dabbs (novels) or Marlo Garnsworthy.Eileen Nelson, Margaret Aitken, John Lowe (poetry) or Beck Lowe (fantasy) will read all manuscripts and give you a written report about three or four pages in length. Virginia often adds a report of her own. We mentor the author, with work on successive drafts (more cheaply than the original submission). As the assessors are not anonymous, authors have access to them and can query any point in the assessment. An accompanying recommendatory letter to publishers is offered to exceptional manuscripts, when Virginia, the original assessor and the author are all completely satisfied. This service costs an additional $150.  Every page of the work will be read and grammar and points of style noted. Really good manuscripts often take more time to assess, as it is worth nit-picking when they are approaching publishable standard.  Email assessments are also available for short manuscripts.  Assessments can take up to six weeks.  The basic payment is to be included with the manuscript, or, if emailed, sent at the same time by cheque or electronic transfer of funds (contact Virginia for bank details).  Include a stamped self-addressed envelope with snail-mail submissions.  When you use Create a Kids’ Book, you will know who your assessor is. Your assessor can be contacted directly with queries or comments. (Assessors are anonymous in most other agencies.)  Your work will be copy-edited – grammar and typos corrected. (This service is usually an additional fee).  We are happy to take on additional drafts (up to four), virtually mentoring writers and illustrators.  Manuscript Assessment Prices Mini-assessment (picture book) $150 The mini-assessment is not a report, just the manuscript (submitted by email in Yabby format, under 500 words) with suggested changes tracked, and some explanation. A mini-assessment cannot lead to a recommendatory letter, but is just a brief comment on how the work is shaping up, whether the idea will work. Picture book text $275 Most picture books have only a few hundred words. We will accept as picture books, manuscripts up to 800 words. Picture book text and illustrations $330 The picture book text and illustrations assessment is completed by one of the writing assessors. They will comment on the pictures as well – suitability, how well they complement the words, how well they demonstrate subplot, whether the characters are consistent. But, untrained in art, the assessor cannot comment on the technical proficiency of the artwork, or on design features, points of view etc. etc. Picture book text and technical assessment of illustrations $440 As above, however in addition, artist/illustrator Jo Thompson or Marlo Garnsworthy will assess picture book illustrations from a technical perspective. The will provide feedback on design, choice of medium and overall artistic impact. Short chapter books to 7000 words $330 Novels, up to 35 000 words $440 Poetry 300-4000 words $440 Longer novels $55 + $11 per thousand words. Mini-assessment of novel (synopsis plus first 10000 words) $330 Subsequent drafts $50 discount from original price We will work on three or four drafts. Early drafts will be reports written by one of the assessors (over 3 pages, usually with copy-editing on the manuscript itself). Virginia will assess the final draft. The author and the assessor will have agreed that the next is to be the final draft. Recommendatory letters $165 Virginia writes an open letter of recommendation to accompany the manuscript to publishers (for exceptional manuscripts only, which have been several times through the assessment process). Nonfiction, charged by the same word counts. Urgent manuscript assessments can be completed within a week, for a surcharge of $150 Novels emailed will carry a surcharge of $40 for printing a hard copy. Picture books and chapter books, no charge. Professional Manuscript Presentation As the majority of publishers only accept hard copy submissions, it is important for writers to present their work in a professional manner. Create a Kids’ Book also requires proper presentation in order to allow for extensive editing on the text. We recommend: Use good quality A4 white bond paper heavy enough to withstand handling. Typeface should be 12 point (Times Roman) and the text should be 1.5 or double-spaced to allow for editing. Use one side of the paper only. A title page with the title and number of words plus the writer’s contact details is essential. Begin pagination on the first page of the story – not the title page. Make every effort to edit your own work before submission: correct spelling, grammar and punctuation please. Do not fasten or bind the MS in any way. Loose leaf only. Do not fold the MS. Use a sturdy business sized A4 envelope or a post pack and be sure to include a stamped, self-addressed envelope for the safe return of your MS.   Contact us to discuss your needs.  Virginia's phone 03 9578 5689 or email: vlowe@alphalink.com.au  If you decide to self publish your work, we recommend Monique Lisbon of Mono Unlimitedwww.monounlimited.com.